EVERY year prior to the Bathurst 1000 there is talk about its unpredictable nature and how the fastest car in the field is not guaranteed success, but Tim Slade still expects to see favourites shine.
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With more than 300 Supercars races to his credit and 10 Bathurst 1000 starts, Slade has seen enough to believe that teams who have struggled prior to the Great Race are unlikely to feature on the podium.
"I think what we've seen so far this year will roll into Bathurst. I think the days of people popping up more so in enduros than the rest of the year are kind of gone," the Brad Jones Racing driver said.
"It's more whoever is strong prior to the enduros will be strong in the enduros and it's hard for anyone just to pop up over a longer distance event.
READ MORE: Bathurst seat is a big lure for Richards
"I just expect Bathurst to be pretty much how the year has shaped up, but Bathurst is Bathurst and there's always plenty of elements to contend with and it's a super tough race.
"Like a lot of people say anything can happen, but to win the race these days you can't rely on that, you definitely have got to have good car speed."
The last time a pole sitter who won the Bathurst 1000 was in 2009 when Garth Tander and Will Davison claimed victory in their Holden Racing Team Commodore.
Last year's winners Craig Lowndes and Steve Richards came from ninth on the grid.